Alpine Populist

By

Konstantin Richter

Updated Sept. 30, 2004 12:01 a.m. ET

When Christoph Blocher joined the Swiss cabinet this January, his detractors -- including many business leaders, most mainstream media and the entire political establishment -- hoped that the troublemaker from Zurich would sooner or later lose his edge. Hadn't right-wing extremists elsewhere, once elected, faded quickly, squandered popular support or just made fools of themselves?

Almost a year has passed since general elections gave Mr. Blocher's Swiss People's Party the biggest share of the vote, and the man himself, now...